Robert was on fire in an instant, and, standing upon his chair, asked for attention.
"Your pardon a moment, Mr.Dobbs," he said, "if I interrupt you." "Why it's only a boy!" a man exclaimed.
"A boy, it's true," said Robert, who now felt himself the center of all eyes, and who, as usual, responded with all his faculties to such an opportunity, "but I was present at the Battle of Ticonderoga, and perhaps I've a chance to correct a few errors into which our friend, Mr.
Dobbs, has fallen." "What are those errors ?" asked the man in a surly tone, not relishing his loss of the stage.
"I'll come to them promptly," said Robert in his mellowest tones.
"They're just trifles, Mr.Dobbs, but still trifles should be corrected.
I stood with the French army in the battle, and I know something about its numbers, which are about one-sixth of what Mr.Dobbs claims them to be." "What were you doing with the French ?" "I happened to be a prisoner, Mr.Dobbs.I escaped a day or two later.
But here are with me young officers of ours who were in the attack.
Several of them felt the sting of French bullets on that day, so when they tell you what happened they know what they're talking about.

Their reports don't come from their cousins, but are the product of their own eyes and ears.

Peace, Mr.Dobbs! I've the floor, or rather the chair, and I must tell the facts.

We were defeated at Ticonderoga, it's true, but we were not cut to pieces.

Our generals failed to bring up our artillery.